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Wood Elf
The Wood Elves '''are protectors of the wilderness, and they hold a natural connection to the Fey, which is said to have been their home before they were forced into Elideria through decades of war in generations gone. Wood elves have a long and complicated history in a world dominated by their close kin, the high elves, as the two come from completely separate backgrounds. Whereas the high elves live in decadence and self-absorption, the wood elves have always lived as selfless scavengers and hunters, forced to adapt and brave the hostile wilderness of the Fey, and eventually, Elideria itself. * ''Ability Scores. ''Dex +2, Wis +1 * ''Size. ''Medium. Wood elves range from under 5 to over 6 feet tall and have slender builds. * ''Speed. ''35 feet, and your movement is not hindered by difficult terrain. * ''Age. ''Wood elves age in the same way that the high elves do, except the wood elves treat age with more recognition and authority than most elves normally would. They see a wood elf's age as a symbol of his or her experiences and knowledge in life, and also as a grand achievement, where other races would see young deaths at the hands of their own missteps. * ''Alignment. ''Wood elves seek to protect the wilds and its inhabitants from unrelenting threats, and so they are typically seen as lawful and good. Truthfully, though, wood elves are unable to break from the true nature of all elves, and so most seek freedom and variety, leading chaotic lives. In some wood elves, especially those touched by the unseelie fey, the darkness of evil may germinate within, and wood elves touched by this shadow are quick to be marked by their other kin. * ''Darkvision. ''Accustomed to twilit forests and the night sky, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. * ''Keen Senses. ''You have proficiency in the Perception skill. * ''Fey Ancestry. ''You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can't put you to sleep. * ''Trance. ''High elves don't need to sleep. Instead, they meditate deeply, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day. (The Common word for such a meditation is "trance.") While meditating, you can dream after a fashion; such dreams are actually mental exercises that have become reflexive through years of practice. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep. * ''Elf Weapon Training. ''You have proficiency with the longsword, shortsword, shortbow, and longbow. * ''Mask of the Wild. ''You can attempt to hide even when you are only lightly obscured by foliage, heavy rain, falling snow, mist, and other natural phenomena. * ''Language. '''''You can speak, read, and write Common, Elvish, and Sylvan. Refugees of War Generations past, the wood elves were originally the sylvan elves, natives to the Fey, and the ancestors to the high elves. During this time, they lived in harmony and were protectors and rangers of the sprawling Fey wilds, undisturbed by the political conflict between the seelie and unseelie Fey. During what is known as the Feywar, an event that shook Fey society, the sylvan elves were caught in the middle, existing neither as seelie or unseelie. Because of this conflict, half of their people were corrupted by the darkness of the unseelie, becoming the first dark elves, or drow. The remaining sylvan elves reluctantly--and regrettably--joined the side of the seelie Fey to fight back against the corruption of their brethren and to protect their woodland homes. In the midst of the war, cornered by the drow, some of the sylvan elves fled to the mortal realm, Elideria, to escape from the conflict. Generations later, still sworn to protect the forests, the sylvan elves shed most of their Fey heritage, having lost most of the magical connection to their home world, and so they became the first wood elves, now devoted to serve Elideria in the face of evil, not wanting others to fall into the hands of corruption that their own brothers and sisters had fallen into in a time immemorial.